BRIDGEWATER, Maine — Over the last few weeks, new members of the Bridgewater and Mars Hill fire departments have spent countless hours working to gain the skills needed to work safely at structure fires.
Matthew Powers, training officer for the Bridgewater Fire Department, and Jeff Boyington, training officer for the Mars Hill Fire Department, collaborated to present a basic fire school to qualify the new recruits.
The class was a tremendous success, Powers said, and all participants learned a great deal about teamwork and fire ground operations.
The final test was conducted Saturday, July 20, at an acquired structure in Bridgewater. Preparations began early in the morning to avoid the projected 90-degree high temperature for the day. Each of the students had an opportunity to face and extinguish two fires started in the building.
At the conclusion of the training, the class was able to watch from inside the structure as one last fire was set. The students were able to see how fast a fire can grow inside a home, and witness the development characteristics of a fire first hand, in a controlled environment.
Attending the class for Bridgewater were Mitchell Grass, Nick Bradstreet, and Brayden Bradbury. Mars Hill participants included Gavin Miller, Lane Grass, Caleb Harris and Jacob White.
